


life happens; coffee helps

by MayWilder



Series: coffee shop au [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Delmar's is a coffee shop instead of convenience store, Fluff, M/M, Peter doesn't have powers, and so self-indulgent, at all, coffee shop AU, he is also very dramatic, he's a college student, just coffee and some awkward flirting, there's like...no plot, this is short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 11:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19108546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayWilder/pseuds/MayWilder
Summary: “Um, name for the-for the order?”“Harley,” he answers. “Name for the barista?”Peter hands the card back, praying that his heartbeat can’t be heard by the other boy. “Peter.”The smirk turns to a wide smile, and Peter falls in love.--Or, the coffee shop AU nobody asked for.





	life happens; coffee helps

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I don't even know what this is. I couldn't get the idea out of my head, I had enough clarity to write a teensy thing, and I love Peter Parker. That is all.  
> <3

“This is it.”

“Honestly.”

“This is the end of me.”

“I doubt that, kid.”

“There’s no meaning in life. I quit life. Can I quit life?”

“Not until after you graduate college.”

Peter collapses face down on the couch, wondering if he can suffocate himself. He knows his self-preservation instincts will make it difficult to do so, but surely there’s a possibility—

“Why are you being so dramatic?” the couch dips underneath May’s weight. “So what, you spilled your coffee on a billionaire. What’s the worst that can come out of it?”

“Tony Stark is not just a billionaire,” Peter replies. He sits up and looks at his aunt with wide eyes. “And I didn’t spill it on him, I spilled it on his assistant. His very cute assistant.”

May nods. “Right. And this is the end of the world because…?”

“Because!” Peter flails his arms. “He’s cute and now he probably thinks I’m a complete idiot. I’m so screwed, I’m never going to get his number now. I’ve been trying for weeks!”

“Have you?” May raises an eyebrow. “Have you _really?_ ”

“Well, I mean…”

* * *

“Two black coffees, one chai latte,” the cute blonde says. His accent is southern and he’s smirking at Peter expectantly.

“Right.” Peter squeaks. “That’ll be eight-twenty.”

The boy reaches into the pants of a very well tailored suit and withdraws a shiny silver card. Peter’s hands shake as he swipes because it reads _Stark Industries_. “Um, name for the-for the order?”

“Harley,” he answers. “Name for the barista?”

Peter hands the card back, praying that his heartbeat can’t be heard by the other boy. “Peter.”

The smirk turns to a wide smile, and Peter falls in love.

**)-(**

The next morning, Harley walks in at exactly the same time as the day before.

He says his order, hands over the card.

Peter makes the order and slides the coffees across the counter.

They don’t say anything else.

**)-(**

The process is the same for three weeks, until Harley breaks pattern by coming in a second time around lunch. He smirks at Peter and offers the card. “Two doubles and a dirty chai.”

“Long work day?” Peter asks.

“Tony’s determined to get this new trash compactor finished by the end of the year,” Harley answers with a roll of his eyes. “There’s no way, but ya know. _Tony_.”

Peter is so shocked that he can’t say anything because this _kid_ , who carries a Stark Industries business card, calls Tony Stark by his first name.

**)-(**

The next day, Peter feels brave.

“How has your morning been?” he asks nervously as he rings up the order.

“Better now that I’ve seen you,” is the response he gets.

He doesn’t say anything for the rest of the day.

**)-(**

From there, conversation comes a little easier. Peter learns that Harley is from Tennessee, met Tony briefly when he was twelve, and now spends his breaks from MIT interning for the man. He works closely with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, and isn’t nearly impressed with them as the general public. He has a sister in Tennessee, bleeds coffee, and likes to keep his button down shirt untucked.

In turn, Peter tells Harley that he’s a student at Columbia who works in the mornings at Delmar’s coffee shop. He lives with May and is studying biochemistry. On the weekends, he hangs out with MJ and Ned, and does his homework.

He can’t seem to ask Harley for his number.

**)-(**

Harley’s been coming into the shop for two months when it happens.

He walks into Delmar’s with his usual smirk and untucked shirt. It’s a busy Saturday morning, so Peter has to keep focused on making drinks instead of the boy who watches him move. It’s so hard to stay on task that he switches the coconut and peppermint syrups and ruins three drinks before having to start over. He catches Harley smirk once or twice out of the corner of his eye, and he _knows_ his face is beet red.

There’s obviously some great being in the sky out to get Peter because when he goes to pass Harley’s order across the table, one of the cups tilts and the lid pops off, spilling coffee across Harley’s white shirt.

“Shit!” Peter exclaims. He grabs a towel and immediately tries to clean up. “Harls, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay, Peter—

“God, _I’m an idiot_ , I didn’t mean—

“Honestly, baby, I _swear_ it’s okay—

“Peter!” Mr. Delmar calls, motioning towards the line. “Stop talking to your boyfriend and clean it up! We got other customers, kid, c'mon.”

“Yes sir!” Peter cringes and looks to Harley. “Next one’s on me, I promise.”

Harley opens his mouth to reply, but Mr. Delmar yells for Peter again, and Peter motions to the mess. “I better…you know.”

“See you later, darlin’.”

* * *

“Oh, Peter,” May sighs, the pity in her tone _almost_ sincere. He lets his head fall into her lap, indulging in how she runs her fingers through his hair. “It’ll be alright.”

“How do you know?” he mumbles.

“Because if there’s anything to count on, it’s that after two months of the same coffee, a man like Tony Stark is going to send his personal intern back to the same place. You’ll see him again and it’ll be fine. This time, you can actually ask for his number.”

**)-(**

When Peter goes to work the next morning, he tries to work through the nerves. After passing his Organic chemistry quiz and sleeping a full night, he wakes up to realize that the world won’t end simply because a cute boy— _even if he’s really cute, with a single blonde curl that falls in his blue eyes_ —doesn’t come back to the store.

So, when Harley walks in with his usual smirk and untucked button down, Peter smiles at him. He knows it looks shy and hesitant, but he doesn’t care. “Good morning.”

“Mornin’,” Harley responds. He looks around. “Slow today?”

“Sundays always are around this time,” he answers. “The usual?”

“Add a chocolate croissant, please.” Harley hands over the card. When Peter takes it, he realizes there’s a small sticky note on it. Before he swipes, he turns it over and reads the ten digits written in a messy scrawl. “Everything alright with the card, Peter?”

“Y-Yes,” Peter stutters. He looks up to see Harley looking entirely too calm. “Did you mean to—after I spilled coffee on you?”

Harley leans in, both hands on the counter so he’s able to hover over the register. “I had that written yesterday, darlin’. _Before_ the coffee incident.”

“Oh.”

Harley grins, leans forward more to brush a kiss across the arch of Peter’s cheek. A pleasant shiver runs down Peter’s spine as the other boy pulls back, a true smile slowly spreading across his lips.

“Not to be an ass,” Harley whispers. “But I still need my coffee.”

Peter just laughs, and goes back to work.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm maywildflowers on tumblr. hit me up for a trashcan of my faves


End file.
